Batteryminder 1500 Review

[Billrog]

If your charging 2 battery's on a machine it recommends you hook the + to the + on one battery and the - to the negative on the other battery in order to balance the charge. If doing it where there are no wires ( not on a machine)make up a jumper from + to - for the same reason.

 

[Gregster613]

Hi Billrog, That's pretty much what I thought they meant. So if I want to charge the batteries in 2 separate machines (parked in the same garage) I need to jumper those two batteries together and place the charger on just one battery? I can do that but it's probably a lot easier to just charge them individually.
I've got it on my lawnmower tractor now - it;s my oldest battery and I wanted to see if it needed any desulfation action - that's why I was curious about the blue flashing light, if it was to stay flashing did that mean it is desulfating or just checking?
I wish the instruction manual would have gone a tad deeper into the desulfation descriptions or instructions. I've never had a smart charger before and don't quite understand how I'm supposed to know when/if it is doing what it is supposed to be doing.
Thanks for advising me as I sure don't want to screw up a new charger or an old battery! Greg

 

[Ford850]

Gregster, I also remember reading how charging multiple batteries will require a longer time and I think it reduces the desulfating effectiveness. I do remember that it made more sense to charge them all separately to save time and to better identify an individual battery issue. But if you wanted to use the one charger to hold them in peak condition for months without moving the charger from battery to battery, then daisy chaining them made sense.

 

[Billrog]

Had the battery minder for or 10 years before I gave it a test that convinced me it actually worked. Bought a golf cart for my wife to drive around our property and the battery's were in bad shape. Checked with a hydrometer they were poor. After hooking them up ( 6 volt tied together for 12 volt) a week on each set and they registered good with the hydrometer. They are still going strong.

 

[John_Mc]

If your charging 2 battery's on a machine it recommends you hook the + to the + on one battery and the - to the negative on the other battery in order to balance the charge. If doing it where there are no wires ( not on a machine)make up a jumper from + to - for the same reason.

The recommendation is to FULLY charge each battery individually FIRST. Once fully charged, you can hook them together in parallel (+ to +, - to -) or just use a Y adapter. The reason for charging first is that if they are in different states of charge and you hook them in parallel, current will flow from the battery with higher charge to that with the lower charge. Since there is likely very little resistance in the wires, it's possible to get very high current flow, this can be more than the light gauge wiring can handle - it can also be more than the batteries can handle. Matching the state of charge minimizes the risk of damaging something when they are hooked together.

 

[Billrog]

John makes a good point the battery's should matched of equal size .

 

[John_Mc]

John makes a good point the battery's should matched of equal size .

Actually, per VDC (maker of BatteryMinder) tech support: they don't have to be equal size as long as they are both at the same state of charge (easiest way to assure this is to charge them both fully before connecting them together). What does matter is that they both be the same type: that is you can connect flooded lead acid to flooded lead acid, or gel to gel, or AGM to AGM, but do not mix types (no AGM in parallel with a flooded lead acid)

 

[Gregster613]

Ford850, Billrog. John_Mc; You guys are full of info!! Thanks for all the ideas, comments, etc., etc.
Billrog, I also have a golf cart, but mine has 8 volt batteries. No way I can see using this charger on it. Darn. I do have the regular style charger and keep those "expensive" batteries juiced up at all times. Yet, they only last for 4 - 5 years and then need replacing. Probably because they desulphate and the reg charger has no means to combat that. Just a fact of owning a golf cart I guess.
Anyhow, my battery tender will be jumping around between my least often used rigs and doing its thing as best it can. I won't do the multiple batteries thing I read about in the manual as it seems just to cumbersome and time consuming. Just unplug and switch rigs and I'm done for a while. Thanks to all for the input! Greg

 

[California]

... I also have a golf cart, but mine has 8 volt batteries. ... only last 4 - 5 years ... Probably because they desulphate and the reg charger has no means to combat that.

Here's a chart showing a Batteryminder version for 8 volt batteries, #12106A8V.
Car/ Truck / RV Battery Charger Comparison
There is also mention of that version in the instruction manual for Model 12117.

However - a Google search shows 12106A8V as 'out of stock' or 'discontinued' at the several vendors I found. Batteryminder no longer shows it on their website.

Ebay shows one sold recently in Completed Auctions. That's the only one I found anywhere.
1216A8V | eBay

 

[JRobyn]

Gregster, these guys (actually just *A* guy, best I can tell) make desulfators specifically designed for golf carts in various voltages. I use one of his 48 vdc (designed for 2 parallel 48 vdc banks) on my Ranger EV. The Ranger has 2 banks of 4 12 vdc batteries in series.

I can't really say for sure how, or even IF it's working, but I leave it on continuously and have had minimal battery issues. The EV charger stays on continuously too, whenever it's not in use.

Products << Battery Life Saver

 

[John_Mc]

Gregster, these guys (actually just *A* guy, best I can tell) make desulfators specifically designed for golf carts in various voltages. I use one of his 48 vdc (designed for 2 parallel 48 vdc banks) on my Ranger EV. The Ranger has 2 banks of 4 12 vdc batteries in series.

I can't really say for sure how, or even IF it's working, but I leave it on continuously and have had minimal battery issues. The EV charger stays on continuously too, whenever it's not in use.

Products << Battery Life Saver

I almost forgot: BatteryMinder also makes a 48 volt charger/maintainer/desulfator designed for use with golf carts or similar aoplications. User selectable charging profiles to match any lead acid battery (Gel, sealed, wet, maintenance-free, AGM, PLT Oddysey). This was recently redesigned/upgraded from their model 48021. Not cheap, but they do work well.

I thought they also made a 36 v unit, but I don't see it. They do make both 36v and 48v desulfator-only units. THey mount onboard, and activate any time you are chaging the batteries (whether from the on-board engine alternator, or from an external charger)

 

[Gregster613]

JRobyn and John_Mc, Thanks for the info on the 48V chargers. Man, that BatteryMinder looks like a nice unit but it's way to expensive! I couldn't get a price on the BLS48 (clicked on it and it just gave a closeup picture) but that's okay; I'm not really looking for another charger than what came with my cart.
Still trying to determine if this desulphation thing is really an issue or not. It kinda seems like just keeping batteries fully charged keeps desulphation at bay. I don't know for sure but it's what it is. I'll try my tender 1500 for awhile and see what happens with my regular batteries and go from there if needed.
Thanks guys, Greg

 

[JRobyn]

I think I gave about $125 for the desulfator.

 

[Ford850]

There are several old threads on battery chargers, tenders, minders, etc. They had me confused and not sure on which one to buy. Then last fall my battery was slowly failing on my Case IH DX55. I finally decided on the BatteryMinder 1500 due to it's new ambient temperature sensor and other features (Charger/Maintainer/Desulfator System). You can see one here: BatteryMINDer Charger/Maintainer/Desulfator System Model# 1500 | Battery Maintainers| Northern Tool + Equipment
When I ordered it, we had a below zero cold blast coming, with lots of snow in the forecast. I didn't think I would receive the minder before the snow, so I bought a new battery for the DX55 but didn't install it yet. The shipment came early, so I connected it to the DX and left it for 2 days. That battery would sit at 11.3 volts normally, but after the batteryminder was on it, it seemed to hold a 12.7 charge even after resting for days. It started great for that snow storm, even with temps near zero.
I also ordered a handful of the quick connect ring terminal cords, and a 25' extension cord with quick connects. I added the cords to the tractor, and each lawn mower, tiller, etc. that had a battery. I began connection each for approx. 3 days, then rotating the minder to the next battery. After charging them all, I left them rest for a couple weeks, and did that again, a couple more cycles. Now each of those batteries is holding a full charge after resting for a couple weeks in this extreme cold. The worst was that battery on the DX, and it now holds a full charge and starts easily every time. I returned the unused battery I purchased, for a full refund.
I like the temp sensor on these batteryminders. That allows for an automatic charge adjustment based on temperature. No need to worry about boiling the batteries in the hot summer months, and it gives the extra boost needed in the cold months. The lights on the 1500 are in appropriate colors so once you've seen them a couple times, you can tell right away if there is a problem, and what function is working at that time (charging, maintaining, desulfating).
I just thought I'd pass along my findings in case someone is thinking of one of these.

I'm not expecting a miracle cure, but it's already saved me from buying a battery for at least another year. What I'm really hoping to do is prolong the life of all the batteries by a year or 4(?) by keeping them topped off during the storage months in cold weather. The way I have things tucked in my barn, I occasionally have to start something to move it out of the way. Since it is then parked again and left resting for weeks/months, that is what really destroys the batteries. With my new process I can plug it in easily after starting the engines and not letting them run long enough to recharge the battery. And then also top all of them off every few weeks.

I'm checking in to this thread to update, 3 years after my initial post about my BatteryMinder rejuvenating the battery on my DX55. Other than that battery on my Grasshopper back in 2015, I have had no other replacements. All batteries are still cranking strong, including the original one on the DX55. I continue my routine of connecting the 'Minder' to each battery for a day or so, about once a month. Another benefit I've noticed is that I have little or no corrosion on cables and clamps like I used to have. I assume it is because the batteries are kept fully charged and aren't gassing off like the did when sitting idle with a partial charge. I do keep them coated with Fluid Film, which also helps.

Another year, another success story with no battery replacements. It's been 5 years since I started using the BatteryMinder and revived my 7 year old weak/dead battery on my DX55. It's now 5 years later and that battery is still going strong, using the routine I mentioned above. I can't say enough positive things about this little Minder and it's desulfator system.

 

[John_Mc]

BatteryMinder does make some great chargers. I've amassed quite a collection over the years.

• model 1500 charger - good quality at a good price
• model 12117 - the predecessor to the model 1500. Lacks temperature compensation, but does desulfate. This one is still going strong after about 15 years.
• model 2012-AGM, a 2 Amp model with a charging profile specially for AGM batteries (it's connected to the AGM batteries in my wife's motorcycle and the kids ATV)
• model 12248 with selectable 2, 4, or 8 amp charging and selectable gel, flooded, or AGM charging profiles.
• a model 128CEC1 (successor to the model 12248 with similar features)
• a model 244CEC1-AA-S5 a 24 volt aviation specific charger for the battery in my Cessna 172 (this replaced an older model 24041-AA-S5, when that charger was damaged in a storm last year which ripped the doors off the airplane hangar)

I found a brand that works well, and I'm sticking with it. I could get away with fewer charger/maintainers, but my equipment is scattered among several locations, and the ones which are close together are often different battery types, making it tough to take advantage of the fact that these chargers will maintain several batteries at once, if properly connected.

 

[Ford850]

BatteryMinder does make some great chargers. I've amassed quite a collection over the years.

• model 1500 charger - good quality at a good price
• model 12117 - the predecessor to the model 1500. Lacks temperature compensation, but does desulfate. This one is still going strong after about 15 years.
• model 2012-AGM, a 2 Amp model with a charging profile specially for AGM batteries (it's connected to the AGM batteries in my wife's motorcycle and the kids ATV)
• model 12248 with selectable 2, 4, or 8 amp charging and selectable gel, flooded, or AGM charging profiles.
• a model 128CEC1 (successor to the model 12248 with similar features)
• a model 244CEC1-AA-S5 a 24 volt aviation specific charger for the battery in my Cessna 172 (this replaced an older model 24041-AA-S5, when that charger was damaged in a storm last year which ripped the doors off the airplane hangar)

I found a brand that works well, and I'm sticking with it. I could get away with fewer charger/maintainers, but my equipment is scattered among several locations, and the ones which are close together are often different battery types, making it tough to take advantage of the fact that these chargers will maintain several batteries at once, if properly connected.

I do like the looks of 128CEC1, and if I didn't already have a good full sized charger (Schumacher 6v/12v with Start mode) I would opt for that.

 

[BarnieTrk]

I do like the looks of 128CEC1, and if I didn't already have a good full sized charger (Schumacher 6v/12v with Start mode) I would opt for that.

I hear ya, but does your Schumacher unit provide a 'Desulfator' mode? If not, it may be worth upgrading to a unit that does provide such a feature; some such units can be had for under 80$....if only used once a year to run that cycle with each of your batteries....

BarnieTrk

 

[Ford850]

I hear ya, but does your Schumacher unit provide a 'Desulfator' mode? If not, it may be worth upgrading to a unit that does provide such a feature; some such units can be had for under 80$....if only used once a year to run that cycle with each of your batteries....

BarnieTrk

Yes it does. So does my BatteryMinder 1500. Read this whole thread for my experience saving and maintaining batteries with desulfator chargers. The benefit of the Shumacher, although it is also a smart charger, is that it offers the jump start mode. On a completely drained battery you need either that or an old manual style charger to add a little juice to the battery before a smart charger can recognize it and take it from there. I rarely need the 6V/12V Schumacher anymore though, except for my 6V Ford 850.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Another happy camper here. Back in 2013, I bought a Battery Minder 128CEC1 to try and revive a weak 6 year old Kubota battery. Now, 5 years later, the battery is still going strong. I also use it to maintain a couple of deep cycle marine batteries. Can't say enough good things about these products!

 

[CADplans]

Another happy camper here. Back in 2013, I bought a Battery Minder 128CEC1 to try and revive a weak 6 year old Kubota battery. Now, 5 years later, the battery is still going strong. I also use it to maintain a couple of deep cycle marine batteries. Can't say enough good things about these products!

I guess I kinda want to know,,
have you had to purchase any batteries since 2013,, or has this charger been 100% successful??

I find I can charge most equipment batteries, but, the cars and trucks that hit pot holes seem to have battery failure, that can not be fixed,,,